Diane Black has become the first gubernatorial candidate to air a TV attack ad. It targets two of her fellow Republicans, Randy Boyd and Bill Lee, calling both of them moderates and depicting Black as the only conservative in the GOP primary. Beth Harwell isn’t mentioned.

Five candidates for governor – Republicans Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell and Bill Lee along with Democrats Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh – praised a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week that means Tennessee can now require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by their Tennessee, reports the Times Free Press.

Their comments came at a gubernatorial candidate forum hosted by the newspaper Monday in Chattanooga. One major GOP candidate, Diane Black, was campaigning in Carter County Monday and did not participate.

Hendersonville, Tenn. – Former Governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee announced his endorsement of Republican candidate for Governor, Randy Boyd, in a new television ad that will begin airing statewide today.

The leading Republican candidates for Tennessee governor tried not to second-guess President Donald Trump during a debate Wednesday night, including pledging support for his administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, according to the Associated Press report.

At the debate, House Speaker Beth Harwell, ex-state economic development commissioner Randy Boyd and businessman Bill Lee blamed congressional inaction for the migrant family separations that have sparked recent public outrage. The statements likely took aim at U.S. Rep. Diane Black, who instead took a stance similar to Trump by blaming Democrats. She said Democrats are not supporting construction of a border wall.

Four gubernatorial candidates – Republicans Randy Boyd and Beth Harwell; Democrats Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh — told the annual convention of the Tennessee Bar Association Thursday that they favor keeping the Tennessee Attorney General a position appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, reports the Memphis Daily News.

Four Republican candidates for governor have purchased $21 million in political advertising for their campaigns, reports The Tennessean. Two Democrats and a couple of PACs involved in the gubernatorial campaign have, combined, spent about $2 million on ads, for a $23 million statewide total.

That’s for ads already run and those purchased and scheduled to run in the campaign days ahead.

Nashville, Tenn. – Randy Boyd, Republican candidate for Governor, launched his latest campaign commercial “Welfare to Work” which highlights Boyd’s belief that those who are able to work should work, not permanently live on government assistance.